“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”” Romans 8:15
Fear is defined as: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is For us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
For many of us, myself included, fear often times “creeps” in. It comes in before we can even start to step forward and its sends us spiraling back to our seats. Fear deprives us from living. Fear sucks out the life and leaves us in a place of uncertainty.
I cannot tell you how many times I have played the “what if” game in my life, maybe you can relate.
What if I choose to get out of bed today? Will it be a bad day?
What if I try something new and fail?
What if I’m not good enough?
What if this isn’t it?
What if I choose to fully respond to the Lords calling and I don’t like it… or it scares me?
I could play the “what if” game from sun up to sun down but if I never actually get out of bed, I will never know if there will be hard moments in this day. If I don’t try something new, how will I know if it does not work, Edison once said, ” I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that do not work”. If I do not believe in myself and who the Lord created my to be, how can I expect others to see me in that way. If I don’t try, if I don’t knock on the door, how can I expect a response. If I don’t respond how will I ever know if its scary, how will I ever see the Lord show up and give me peace in the times that I am freaking out.
Fear to me is a very tangible thing, when I was younger I almost drown a few times; this left me with a paralyzing fear of water. A few weeks ago I was at training camp where a friend and I would go trail running in the mornings, one day we decided we would jump in the lake to cool off. I got to the dock, looked at the water and was paralyzed by fear so much that we were going to jump in together and I let her jump without me. I stood there staring at the water thinking, “ what if I jump in and don’t come back up?” “ What if I jump in and get a cramp and drown?” “ What if I jump in and some big fish eats me?” These things may seem so silly but it’s a real fear. I finally scooted myself off the dock into the water and would not let go of the dock. Later that day I was so sore from how tense I was in that moment of fear. This may seem like a silly thing to be fearful about but we all have something, the thing that holds us back from living. For you it may be change, giving up your old ways, moving on from a past a relationship, stepping into a new relationship without having the “she’s the one” moment, maybe it’s the calling the Lord has placed upon you, or public speaking, or even just listening to the voice of the Lord.
We all have fears, those things that hold us back from truly experiencing all the Lord has for us. I am so tired of the enemy sitting there laughing at me as I stand at the edge of the dock imagining the refreshing feeling of jumping in and all the fun I would have, while in actuality I am frozen, paralyzed by fear. Enough is enough! Stepping into new things is scary, as I am getting ready to move to Guatemala there are totally fears in that. But I would rather face those fears today and jump right in, than stay seated on the couch praying for a different opportunity, looking back in 50 years and instead of playing the “what if” game, playing the “ I wish I would have” game. Don’t play those games! Jump in, play the game of Life, of twister (things get messy), and the game of Risk. Don’t wait to feel qualified, the Lord uses the unqualified and qualifies them. I think sometimes the Lord is just asking us to move, to be willing to step out in faith. He does not ask us to have everything figured out, he asked us to have faith, to Trust that He will be faithful.
What are you going to do with your fear? Are you going to continue to sit on the couch playing the “what if” game what will eventually turn into the “ I wish I would have” game? Or will you get up, start walking, maybe even build up to a power walk or a jog, trusting that the Lord is right there beside you, guiding you in this journey we call life. The choice is up to you… what will you choose?
“The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
Love that you are continuing to choose in regardless of the fears facing you. Keep rocking this thing called life. Love you girl!
I used to work in sales which was a challenge for a stutterer. They tried to teach me that fear stood for False Evidence Appearing Real. It sure felt real to me. The way I conquered fear was to attack it head on. Consistently putting myself in scary situations until I developed the confidence to function. Fear is now a healthy reminder of my limitations and to push through them bravely. Good piece, Angela!